Protect Central College Heritage

Friday, 7 February 2020 Dr Ashwath Narayan 

Hon Deputy Chief Minister Bangalore

Dear Sir Subject: Proposed plan to raze part of Central College Campus Time after time Citizens and Bangalore are getting news and updates to their great shock and consternation about public buildings particular heritage spaces, being under threat. A month ago it was Victoria Hospital, and despite are several mails and calls on the subject the extension wing was eventually razed . The fact that there is a plan to make this into a heritage building Is excellent but needs inputs from expert , planners and special interest groups like ours. Today’s news about part of the Central College campus to be razed on basis of safety , and vertical growth and high rises planned has caused a severe anxiety. . Enough studies have been done and audits have also been undertaken which clearly establish that the buildings only need renovation and restoration and require no punitive or drastic action. The desire to build into what is what One of the most venerated and beautiful campus in the heart of our precious city strikes an icy sword into citizens heart, particularly because of the eroding heritage and historic values that are anyway disappearing. The campus history and significance is known to all. There are so many important campus buildings with architectural and environmental impact. Future vision as well as environment, flora & fauna, ongoing restoration, and Heritage Management Plan and future growth needs to be looked at comprehensively. This is a Karma Bhoomi that has raised and sustained some of the best minds in not just the state, the country, but the world. What is inherent in the Central College campus is in someway the soul of knowledge and value of education in our beloved city. This indefinable, Intangible soul is reflected in the beautifully architected red buildings, and our own version of the dreaming spires. This is a memory and a motivation. As per our information the previous audit reports did not show any major recommendations except for renovation and we earnestly request That whatever the information is available should be shared with Citizens and expert groups to see if any value can be added or the buildings saved. Any change that is required for this buildings must go through proper process and audit and at no point can this beleaguered city be under further attack. We request you to please look into this matter and share the necessary information so that we are ableTo give our feedback and help save a centralb part of our beloved city and it’s educational history and Hetitage. We look forward do your input on this at the earliest 

Inputs on Cubbon Park Smart City Project

Heritage Beku draft inputs on the Cubbon Park Lotus Pond document by Bengaluru Smart City Ltd

We need to look at Cubbon Park from the following perspectives: Environmental (biodiversity), Sustainability, Preservation and Heritage, Accessibility (Commons) and Aesthetics Proposed interventions – has detailed project report been done listing out impacts or enhancements of the ‘improvements’ on park, trees, plants, birds, animals, water resources and visitors?

• Improvements to make them safer and user friendly , provide more universal accessibility, handicapped access always welcome. • Can include porous materials that let rainwater seep through for water recharge • Proposed trails and pathways must specifically not disturb existing trees, roots, plants and must of minimum width to integrate with the landscape and not create an eyesore and look man made • Rejuvenation of ponds on sustainable principles - IISC and specialists like Dr TV Ramachandra and others could be involved • Pigeon feed area to be avoided – pigeon poop causes health problems • Seating etc. to blend with the landscape of the park and not look jarring and artificial - made to look like made of natural materials or use natural materials or use materials like fiberglass that looks like natural etc • Smart waste bins are not needed instead people should be encouraged to use them and not litter.. Segregation of waste and separate bins for each type of waste • Lotus Pond development if done to be done with waste and recycled water .. should look natural and not man made (do we need a lotus pond?) • Wetland Filtration systems would improve proposal and having wildlife scientists won board would help. • No trees to be cut or relocated for any of the proposals, roots to be protected • All boardwalks developed so far here in India look at creating a barricaded walkway around a water body but do not look into rejuvenating or cleaning the water bodies… That should be first priority and boardwalk the last priority. The board walk looks too man made and so a natural path around can be created if needed • Natural swales to be retained and cleaned and water flow to be improved - do we need artificial looking board walk and miniature walk bridges • Water purification is a must and should be first priority • Lighting with maybe solar and other renewable sources for early morning and late evening to create a safer environment… • Also enforcement against littering. • Public toilets if proposed must be sustainable, portable e-toilets coin operated etc. that work all the time and are not vandalized… • Drinking water fountains, street furniture, signage etc. to be COMPATIBLE with the natural ambiance.

Spatial contiguity and congruence is critical to a heritage structure. Already the new benches & water fountains are out of sync in concrete and granite. • Road projects to not disrupt the natural ambiance, disrupt the existing landscape and trees • New Parking areas to be avoided - if any only in areas where they do not disturb. instead use of non motorized golf carts to be encouraged. • No need for digital boards. costs a lot and looks ugly if not tastefully done. the one that is proposed next to the statue is completely out of place…maybe at the entrance. instead develop an app that lets people know of various activities • The CCTV cameras have to be carefully spaced and integrated without being eyesores. Current LED boards also must be removed as they are not useful, aesthetic or safe. They are glaringly out of place in a park and present a driving hazard. • Current Fences. Water dispensers, etc are very modern and look out of place. In addition, the Children’s library and the KAS Officers Club is not congruent with park heritage ad aesthetics and stand out poorly. Their frontage and visuals must be improved. • the plan for the lotus pond looks too man made and not necessary if done should look like a natural pond with lotuses

• Re Public Consultation on the Cubbon Park Plan o Was the public consulted for these proposals? o what was the public input…? were there design consultations? o What was the public consensus? o Was the list of gaps or problems at the Park that needed action aggregated, clearly stated and summarized?

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Annexure

Cubbon Park redevelopment under Area Based Development Projects Summary Points extracted by Heritage Beku from the Smart City Ltd Document - Protection & redevelopment of centrally located parkland • Cubbon Park - to become a local community asset” • Revitalizing the central city green through improved pedestrian connectivity and place making • Integrate green network to heritage and cultural landmarks around Cubbon park - PROTECTION AND REDEVELOPMENT OF THE CENTRALLY LOCATED PARKLAND -

Cubbon Park • 6.7 km of pedestrian and cycle network with 2 bicycle share points, 2 e toilets and water ATMs, 180 CCTV cameras and 40 smart dust bins • 1 tourist information kiosk integrated with digital information board • 150 acres of vehicle free zone in the city centre (Entry for vehicles restricted in the mornings, Sundays and national holidays) • Existing facilities for STP, RWH and re use of grey water for horticulture and landscaping • Place making through landmarks and seating spaces that will complement the surrounding heritage of Sheshadri Iyer Library, Venkatappa Art Gallery, Band Stand, Acheological Museum, Vishveshwariah Technological museum and Bal Bhavan - CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT - Over the past decade, the government of Karnataka and the local authorities in Bengaluru have been actively involving its citizens in the process of city development. Visions and goals agreed upon by sector and domain experts are presented to the citizens through various government and non-government platforms for their opinions. Apart from public grievances redressal platforms like Sahaaya, the local authority encourages citizen participation in budget allocations. Citizen initiatives aims to create a pool of informed citizens who have the ability to work on various issues important to the citizens of Bangalore and act as a pressure group to bring in transparency and accountability into the system. B.PAC etc has set up “Civic Hubs” across the city for this purpose. The Civic Hubs will also help the citizens of the ward to have easy access to government schemes, voter registration assistance, environmental initiatives etc. Extensive and elaborate public deliberations have evolved the vision and strategic blueprint of the city. The Annual Survey of Indian City Systems (ASICS) assessment for quality of public disclosure of local bodies such as information on its financial position, audit information and quality of services rendered scores Bengaluru second among 21 major Indian cities on the implementation of laws on Public Disclosure and Community Participation. Bengaluru comes in third on the mechanisms they have in place to address citizen complaints effectively. This trend of involving its citizens has continued in the Smart City Proposal, with over 15 lakh inputs enabled by several online and offline channels. Citizen participation will continue to remain a cornerstone in the success of the Smart City Mission by ensuring maximum engagement in the planning and implementation of area-based infrastructure projects at various stages such as decision-making, planning and design/formulation and financing. - PROTECTION AND REDEVELOPMENT OF CENTRALLY LOCATED PARKLAND (CUBBON PARK) - i. Tourist information kiosk ii. Place making and park beautification iii. Pedestrian and cycle network iv. Smart street lighting system v. PBS, smart parking, charging points vi. E toilets, water ATMs, smart dust bins, CCTV - Indicator - • landmark referencing and wayfinding • quality of public space • pedestrian safety • Reduced electricity consumption for street lighting • Available public amenities - Baseline - • No landmark referencing • 4 landmarks and limited furniture • Vehicle free on Sundays • 0 energy efficient lighting • Poor/absent amenities - Target - • interactive information available • 30 landmark features and 200 furniture • Vehicle free on weekends and all public holidays; 100% pedestrian and cycle network; 180 CCTV • 450 energy efficient lights • adequate amenities - Financial resources required: 6.07 cr (Capex and design) Opex = 0.19 cr Human resources: artists, landscape consultants, horticulturists, consultants for design and execution, technical support, vendors, dedicated personnel from BBMP and contractors Physical resources: Space allocation for, e-toilets, water ATMs and parking - Financial resources: 6.07 cr (Capex and design) Opex = 0.19 cr Human resources: artists, landscape consultants, horticulturists, consultants for design and execution, technical support, vendors, dedicated personnel from BBMP and contractors Physical resources: Space allocation for, e-toilets, water ATMs and parking - Completion Date - Project begins at start of Yr4 and continues till end of Yr5

Heritage Framework in RMP 31

• The RMP 2031 based on the identification, listing and spatial mapping of heritage sites, has delineated Heritage Zones and identified Heritage Precincts for Bengaluru. A Heritage Zone is the zone delineated in the Master Plan that requires special attention in terms of heritage conservation and a Heritage Precinct means and includes spaces that require conservation or preservation for historical or architectural or aesthetic or cultural or environmental or ecological purpose and walls or other boundaries of a particular area or place or building which may enclose such space by an imaginary line drawn around it

• As defined above, the heritage zones are to be treated as special areas around which the heritage sites / buildings are retained/conserved/restored in best possible manner along with guiding and regulating the proximal new development and or redevelopment as the same may be, by adopting approaches that protects, conserves and enhance the heritage value of these heritage sites.

• Proposals such as upgrading infrastructure, facilitating public transportation, providing for its better access transportation are few of the aspects in a heritage zone that are required to be promoted

• It is envisaged that the heritage zones and precincts will engage the public and seek participation in the process of development and conservation of these zones. The identified zones can be developed based on their potentials such as administrative, tourism or residential heritage zones.

• For the purpose of identifying and delineating Heritage Zones and precincts, the RMP 2031, considered the following criteria: - 1. Historicity of the Heritage area / building / monument - 2. Urban Character and Nature of activities - 3. Architectural Character and style - 4. Spatial contiguity and congruence

#CubbonPark #Heritage #BengaluruSmartCitiesLtd

Smart City and Cubbon Park Feedback

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(this and other citizen documents were submitted to Dept of Horticulture, Smart City Project, BBMP Commr , Horticulture Secy, Hon MP PV Mohan, MLA Rizwan Arshad and Hon Mayor Gautham Kumar)

Meeting with DCF re 3500 tree on 30 Dec 19

31/12/2019 Mr. Ranganath Swami Deputy Conservator of Forests 

Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Bangalore

Dear Sir: We thank you for the kind courtesies extended to us during our visit to your offices on December 30, 2019 (Monday). The following issues were highlighted and brought to your attention: 1) Disturbing reports in the media about the proposed felling of more than 3500 trees for various developmental projects. We understand that some of these projects and locations of the trees fall within your jurisdiction and the remaining ones fall within the jurisdiction of the Forest Department, Bengaluru Rural. When the High Court of Karnataka has specifically mandated that no action should be taken without submission of the procedure and completion of tree census, how is it that the Tree Committee has gone ahead with the inspection? We request you to intimate us about the status of inspections and fieldwork by the Tree Committee in respect of these trees. There is also no clarity about the criteria adopted by the Tree Committee in deciding whether a tree should be cut down or not. We require details of this criteria. As per the judgment of the High Court of Karnataka on this aspect, a tree should be cut down only after all other alternatives have been examined and exhausted, with no other options to save the tree. We require clarity on whether this test stipulated by the High Court of Karnataka has been applied in respect of the 3500 trees marked for felling. For instance, age of the tree should not be a criterion to decide if it should be felled or not. We also require a copy of the tree census report prepared by the Tree Committee, setting out the details of the 3500 trees such as species, age, location, etc. We also request your office to proactively work and ensure that the Tree Committee has atleast three (3) representatives from the civil society and concerned citizenry of Bengaluru. WE AS RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS OF BENGALURU, DO NOT WANT EVEN A SINGLE TREE TO BE CUT. OTHER OPTIONS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. WHILST WE ARE ALL FOR THE METRO AND OTHER PUBLIC UTILITY PROJECTS, THESE PROJECTS SHOULD BE PLANNED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE GREENERY OF THE CITY IS NOT COMPROMISED IN ANY MANNER. 2) We request that the process of applying online for permission to cut trees be removed. This process makes it easier for unscrupulous elements to hoodwink the authorities and clandestinely fell trees. This process should be made more cumbersome and bureaucratic, in order to ensure that there is greater accountability from corporates and the government, when it comes to preservation of the greenery of Bengaluru. When one cannot apply online and obtain an Adhar card or a ration card, then why are the authorities making the process of Greenocide easier? Trees are the lifeline of the city and should be protected at all costs. 3) We request that your office assumes a proactive role and issues a circular warning all corporates and developers that they have to abide by the law and guidelines laid down by the High Court of Karnataka with regard to preservation of greenery while executing their projects or face stiff and harsh penalties imposed by law. Your office should specifically state that you are committed to protecting the greenery of the city and will deal harshly with any violator. The onus should fall completely on the tree cutter for not complying with the rules and such violators should be severely fined. This will prevent casual massacre of trees. 4) Please ensure that any permission given for felling of trees or pruning of branches be given in both English and Kannada in order to ensure that there is no misuse of the order by unscrupulous elements. There have been instances in the past where permissions for felling issued in Kannada have been misused and trees felled without authorisation. 5) We request that appropriate number of persons from the general public be appointed as Tree Marshals from each ward. For starters, the Ward Committee members could be appointed as Tree Marshals. 6) We request you to forward to us the Minutes of Meeting of the Public Consultation which was held on May 24, 2019 at Bannerghatta Road, with regard to the proposed felling of trees at the premises of the All Saints Church. 7) Please intimate to us the details of the next meeting scheduled between the officials of BMRCL and your offices. We think it is absolutely necessary for citizens to participate in such meetings in order to ensure greater accountability by BMRCL, especially with regard to preservation of the city’s greenery. 8) We understand that your office has a pivotal role to play in preservation of the city. We are of the view that your office is grossly understaffed, considering the volume of work handled by you. Therefore, we would like to place a request for increasing the number of your staff so that the functions and duties imposed upon your office can be handled more efficiently. We would also like to place on record the hard work and sincere efforts put in by your office in preserving the greenery of the city. 9) We kindly request you to intimate the signatories of this communication in the event of any proposed tree felling within the BBMP limits. 10) We request that strong fines and penalties be imposed in a swift manner on violators in order to disincentivise and deter future violations of greenery norms, rules and regulations. This will go a long way in preserving the greenery of the city. We would once again like to place on record our appreciation for patiently listening to our views and your commitment to preserving the greenery of the city. Let us together build a greener, cleaner, beautiful Bengaluru. Thanking you,

For Heritage Beku